Operator at one of Pennsylvania's five nuclear power plants issues reassurance

With five nuclear power plants, Pennsylvania has the second-highest nuclear capacity in the United States. A third of the state's total energy generation comes from nuclear power, just behind coal and well ahead of natural gas and other sources.

In the wake of Japan's horrific earthquake and tsunami that have cause catastrophe at three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, operators at Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant and the National Energy Institute sought to reassure Pennsylvanians about the operation of that facility, where there are two two boiling water reactors capable of generating about 2,500 megawatts of electricity.

"The affected plants in Japan also are boiling water reactors, but of an older design. The reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi site began operation in the early 1970s. The two Susquehanna units began operation in 1983 and 1985 respectively,'' PPL Corporation said in a written statement Monday.

"Annually, the Susquehanna plant generates enough electricity to power about 2 million typical homes. Public health and safety take precedence over all other factors in decisions about plant operations at Susquehanna,'' PPL said.

The Susquehanna plant is located in an area not prone to earthquakes and is on a hilltop to minimize the impact to operations from flooding on the Susquehanna River.

Also, operators said that extensive geological studies of the site were conducted before construction and that the facility was designed and built to withstand a range of natural and man-made disasters, including earthquakes that could be expected to occur in northeastern Pennsylvania.

"Significant enhancements have been made since the events of Sept. 11, 2001, with millions of dollars in investment to make the Susquehanna plant even more physically secure,'' PPL said.

Note: Due to reporting error, the locations of these power plants were originally misrepresented.

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